Stern Pinball has officially announced its first new machine of 2022, and it’s exciting news for fans of a certain Canadian power trio.
Yep, Rush are the stars of the next Stern pin. The latest in a series of machines themed around classic rock bands, the new pinball machine will ensconce Rush alongside bands like Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Iron Maiden, and Metallica in Stern’s ersatz rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame. Stern has been cranking out these rock-themed pins over the last 20 years, and based on what this teaser trailer hints at, the Rush game could have the largest soundtrack yet. The teaser lists 17 songs, including perennial classic rock radio hits “Tom Sawyer,” “The Spirit of the Radio,” and “Limelight.” The teaser also features an animated CGI version of the owl from the Fly by Night album cover, which is exactly the kind of thing you’d expect to see on the pinball machine’s screen during some kind of multiball madness, or something.
The teaser does not give us a look at the machine itself, so we’re still waiting to see what it’ll actually look like—both in terms of its art and the layout of the playfield. This video is the definition of a teaser; it’s 25 seconds long and confirms nothing but the machine’s existence and that it will, in fact, feature Rush songs. Still, despite being so short and light on info, this teaser still should clear up a lot of tension and uncertainty in the pinball community, given how strong the rumors about a Rush machine have been over the last few weeks. (Rule of thumb: it doesn’t matter what theme a new pin has, the most diehard fans online will be split 50/50 between those who are super excited and those who are absolutely furious that it’s not some other IP they loved when they were a kid. And based on comments on Stern’s Facebook page, that’s exactly what’s happening here.)
Anyway, here’s that teaser. Hope you’re ready to tear through some targets and rip off some shots while blasting “Working Man.”